Love

Happy birthday Miss Emmeline!

Yesterday was Emma's first birthday, and quite a busy day in her world! I baked her a cake and some yummy birthday cookies. She and Ned romped around (as usual), but one of their sessions ended in a bruised or broken tail (not that that would slow her down)! It's a little tender right now, but I know she'll bounce back quickly.

Here are a few pictures of the crazy girl (and sneaky Kiwi) eating her cake.

Cat wranglin'

Wednesday I helped with the large-scale cat trapping event, and let me tell you - it was a sight to be seen! It was the third night of trapping the cats. They caught around 40 the two previous nights, and even though CSC/SNAP hadn't released those cats back onto the property (so we didn't just keep trapping the same ones), cats were everywhere when we arrived. I'd say at least another twenty. It was unreal.

The resident of the property was interesting, to say the least. He mentioned multiple times that the government was out to get him, and that the government controls the weather. Many of the cats had some visible illnesses (gunky eyes), and he said they were sick because of all the chemicals that "they" were using...except he said this right after he lit a burn pile in his yard and stacked all kinds of plastic bags and jugs on top of it to burn. :/

Anyway, after about two and a half hours of trapping, we only caught four cats - they apparently had caught on after seeing what happened to all of their other friends! One little bugger was so bratty. A little 3-4 month old tortie sat next to a trap the ENTIRE time we were there. Just staring. We'd go up to her, she'd scamper off, then come right back and sit next to the trap. As we were packing up, she had finally wondered into the trap and was eating the food, but wasn't springing the trap. So I had to sneak up very slowly behind her and slam the trap door shut.

Most of the cats have now been altered and released back onto the property. A few of the very, very tame ones will be listed as adoptable through CSC. A couple were so ill that they had to the euthanized. And the rest will live the rest of their life out on the property where they were caught. No it's not ideal, but it's the most humane and realistic way to deal with the feral cat population.

Here kitty, kitty, kitty

This afternoon I'm helping SNAP (Spay, Neuter And Protect) with a feral cat project they're working on, and they hope to trap over 40 (possibly as many as 60) cats, get them all spayed or neutered, and then re-release them back on the property (the process is known as TNR).

Ferals are truly wild cats, and can't often be domesticated into a normal house cat, so the best option for them is to be able to live out the rest of their lives in the environment that they will best function in, despite the fact that it's less than ideal. At least they can no longer reproduce and cause other kitties to live that kind of life!

We TNR'd a colony of 12 when we moved into our house a couple of years ago, and that was my first introduction to what SNAP really does. It's a great way to prevent unwanted litters and eventually get the feral population down and to help solve unwanted behaviors from ferals (like marking).

If you're interested in helping out with TNR in your community, check out Alley Cat Allies!

Like to entertain? Check this out.

For those who don't know, my sister is exceptionally awesome. She is fantastic in the kitchen, super cute and creative, and throws a mean party. She's also pretty darn good at being thrifty!

She's been hosting her own parties for years, and has collected her ideas, recipes, etc., for equally as long. She just launched a blog, Hundred Dollar Parties, where she'll detail how she hosts lots of parties that can fit into almost anyone's budget!

So check it out, add it to your Google reader, opt to "follow" the blog - you won't be disappointed!

How many times...

Kitten


Sweet Sugar Beefcake Betsy

Seriously, how many times to I have to neglect my blog before I become more regular with posting? Geez...

Anyway, we did a transport for 3 beautiful Cavaliers this weekend. As usual, I wanted to smuggle one home, but I resisted temptation. These kids, along with 3 others whose final stop was in KC, were used for breeding a whole, whole lot by someone in Texas. Many of them had very recently weaned puppies, and when their owner died, the family wanted to keep the puppies, but had no interest in any of the adults (how nice). The dogs eventually made their way to someone with Cavalier Rescue in Kansas, and we helped them on the rest of their journey to Illinois.

Ned!!

That handsome boy is Ned, a 10-month-old pittie boy, and our newest foster! He's been fostered by our friends Amanda and Matt for a few months, but they are moving (boo), so Ned must stay behind since he's a Columbia 2nd Chance foster dog.

He's had a rough little life so far. He and two littermates were shot at as young puppies. Ned was the only one who was lucky enough to avoid a bullet and survive. Then, he came down with parvo, mange, and kennel cough. Fortunately he beat parvo (yay!), got over the kennel cough, and is working on clearing up the mange.

He's an absolute love of a dog. He gives lots of kisses, is pretty darn smart, and loves playing with everything else in the house. He's pretty much perfect, and I think that someone should adopt him!